New Surgeon General’s Report Addresses Disparities Among Tobacco-Related Disease and Death: Cal State East Bay professor’s research featured in the report

The U.S. has made progress in reducing tobacco use, but the forward movement is not equal among all groups - leaving many Americans more vulnerable to disease, disability and premature death.

A new report from the Surgeon General found that disparities in tobacco use persist by race and ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity, income level, education level, occupation, geography and behavioral health status.

Cal State East BayAssociate Professor of Public HealthArnab Mukherjea's research was cited in Eliminating Tobacco-Related Disease and Death: Addressing Disparities-A Report of the Surgeon General.

"Tobacco companies are marketing their products in communities of color and low-income areas, causing higher rates of smoking in those groups," said Mukherjea. "Despite being bad for health, some of these products have cultural importance, which makes it more challenging for those communities to avoid use, especially in social environments. Many of these products are easily accessible in neighborhoods where ethnic communities live or work, without the same regulation that cigarette sales have.".

Mukherjea's research focuses on the use of cultural tobacco products among South Asian communities. He says it serves as an example of why it is important to examine health behaviors and disease risk in separate Asian American subgroups. It also highlights the need to look into the social and cultural reasons behind tobacco use so that tailored prevention and cessation strategies can be developed.

"Much of my research is based on my lived experience as a member of a community whose perspectives and behaviors are not often included in the research," said Mukherjea. "As a professor, I remind students that their understanding of their own social environment is important to develop strategies that prevent disease and improve health in their own communities."

Every year half a million people die because of cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke. Because of this, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy Murthy said an accelerated effort is needed to limit disparities in smoking rates and reduce secondhand smoke.

His office recommends applying an equity-informed approach to data from surveillance and intervention research, considering groups where high risk, data gaps and disparities are known to exist.

Other recommendations include eliminating a maximum nicotine yield to reduce cigarette addictiveness and providing barrier-free access to cessation support.

"Using tobacco is the single most preventable cause of sickness and death in the world, including in the United States," said Mukherjea. "Therefore, preventing individuals from consuming tobacco is important to prevent disease and death, and for those who use, getting them to quit successfully and as soon as possible will help avoid heart disease, cancer and other preventable chronic conditions."

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